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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23658487">Family</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonbinaryezrabridger/pseuds/nonbinaryezrabridger'>nonbinaryezrabridger</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>stargate trope bingo [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stargate Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crew as Family, F/M, M/M, don’t copy to other sites</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:20:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,104</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23658487</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonbinaryezrabridger/pseuds/nonbinaryezrabridger</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Destiny has it's first party.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chloe Armstrong/Matthew Scott/Eli Wallace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>stargate trope bingo [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1698106</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Family</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>written for the "crew as family" square of my stargate trope bingo.</p>
<p>tw for this story:</p>
<p>alcohol consumption</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>------</p>
<p>Eli sticks his head around the corner, hesitantly, and sees Dr. Rush working at a console on the bridge. He hesitates a moment longer, fingers curling and uncurling nervously at his side, before stepping forwards. Rush doesn’t look up at his approach. Eli steps as close as he dares before he asks:</p>
<p>“Aren’t you coming to the party?”</p>
<p>Rush looks up that, his face his usual disdainful mask, and asks:</p>
<p>“Is there a reason that I should?”</p>
<p>Eli laughs nervously, and without thinking, says:</p>
<p>“Um, because we miss you?”</p>
<p>Rush raises an eyebrow at that, looking unimpressed. Eli quails under his glare but perseveres:</p>
<p>“Come on, Dr. Rush, you’re part of this crew too, aren’t you?”</p>
<p>Rush groans, pushing away from the console and tucking his little notebook into his pocket. He speaks with a hint of exasperation:</p>
<p>“You’re not going to give up on this, are you?”</p>
<p>Eli gives him a bright smile and chirps:</p>
<p>“Nope!”</p>
<p>Rush shakes his head, long hair falling into his face only to be brushed back a moment later, and gestures for Eli to go ahead out the door. Eli smiles victoriously to himself and heads to the small cargo bay where the party is being held. Rush trails behind him, as if he’s already regretting his decision. Eli sighs to himself; socialization might help the man, but he kind of doubts it. Despite living in close quarters with everyone for months, Rush has lost none of his prickliness. Oh well, all Eli can do is keep trying.</p>
<p>They make it to the cargo bay and walk into the bustling room. The first thing that hits him is the wave of sound. People chatting happily, and over it loud music. Eli had found ancient music in their database and TJ had quickly volunteered to pick through the numerous songs. She’s become their unofficial DJ, and is standing on the far side of the room by a console, keeping watch over her playlists. Eli can catch snatches of ancient being sung over upbeat music. It’s strangely humanising of the ancients, to be standing here listening to their music the same way they would human music.</p>
<p>Rush clears his throat at Eli’s shoulder and Eli realizes he’s been standing still and staring. Eli mutters an apology and steps into the room. He scans it, taking in the makeshift dance floor, which is sparsely populated, and the tables with the food, which are jam packed. There’s a section of open wall which seems to have attracted the wallflowers; Colonel Young stands there, the only sign he’s at a party the cup in his hand. There’s a few other scientists standing shyly with him, watching the party without participating.</p>
<p>But there’s what Eli is looking for; the drinks table. He heads towards it, and is surprised to find Rush sticking with him. He shrugs it off and smiles at Camille, who is manning the drinks table. He waves and greets:</p>
<p>“Hey, Camille!”</p>
<p>She gives him a pleased smile and replies:</p>
<p>“Hello, Eli. Glad you came by.”</p>
<p>“Wouldn’t miss it for the world. What’s on offer tonight?”</p>
<p>Camile gestures grandly at the two bowls on the table, as well as a stack of cups, as she fills him in:</p>
<p>“We’ve got punch made with mystery fruit from two planets ago, comes in alcoholic or nonalcoholic.” </p>
<p>Eli rubs his hands together gleefully, he loves that fruit. Good thing they got samples of seeds to grow in the hydroponics bay. </p>
<p>“Get me a big ol’ serving of the non alcoholic, please?”</p>
<p>Camile doles it out happily and hands it over, before looking to Rush and saying:</p>
<p>“And for you?”</p>
<p>“Alcoholic.”</p>
<p>Camille hands him the cup and he’s gone almost instantly, heading towards the open wall and looking miserable at being surrounded by people. Camille leans over the table to whisper at Eli:</p>
<p>“I can’t believe you got him here.”</p>
<p>Eli giggles, taking a sip of his punch before responding:</p>
<p>“I know, right?”</p>
<p>Camille shakes her head and starts straightening the cups. Eli watches her for a moment, enjoying the sharp, sweet flavor in his mouth, before he asks:</p>
<p>“How are you doing, Camille?”</p>
<p>She looks up and smiles again, wider than he thinks he’s ever seen her smile before. It’s a beautiful sight to behold and he feels a swell of affection for her. She replies:</p>
<p>“Considering we haven’t been attacked in a week and the IOA is finally getting off my ass a little bit, I’m doing great! How about you?”</p>
<p>Eli looks around the room, the affection only growing. It’s been tough, being trapped on Destiny, but he’s come to love the people around him. They’ve made Destiny their home, and he’s proud of them for it. So he grins at her and says:</p>
<p>“I’m good.”</p>
<p>Their conversation is interrupted by Rush returning for a second cup. Eli gives him a look---that’s pretty strong stuff---and Rush glares back, the look the equivalent of rolling his eyes but without lowering himself to actually do so. Eli ignores him and waves goodbye to Camille before heading over to the other side of the room. TJ doesn’t look up as he approaches, engrossed in working with the console that’s controlling the music. He taps her gently on the shoulder and she jumps, but quickly calms when she sees him.</p>
<p>“Eli.”</p>
<p>He gives her a big smile and goes in for a hug. She hugs him back enthusiastically, patting him on the back. He pulls away and asks:</p>
<p>“How’s it going?”</p>
<p>She fiddles with the console for a moment longer before she replies:</p>
<p>“Good! The speakers in here are good quality, it sounds pretty good, don’t you think?”</p>
<p>He nods earnestly and says:</p>
<p>“Yeah! It helps that our DJ has good taste, too.”</p>
<p>She laughs, a blush high on her cheeks, and swats playfully at him. Then she sobers and says:</p>
<p>“Thanks, Eli. I’m about to spool up some dance music if you want.”</p>
<p>Eli has a quick flashback to dancing disasteriously at a high school dance, but he quickly brushes it off. Dancing is about having fun, and no one here is going to judge him. He scans the dancefloor for friends and spotts Matt and Chloe, swaying together in time. He waves at them, getting a pair of waves back, and then turns to TJ:</p>
<p>“I’ll talk to you later. Keep up the good work!”</p>
<p>Then he runs to Matt and Chloe’s sides. The song playing changes to something with a heavy dance beat and he feels it in his bones. Chloe and Matt give him matching angelic smiles and start to dance in earnest. He joins them, swinging his hips and shoulders without a care in the world. During a particularly high paced song, Chloe laughs, head thrown back, before pulling Eli into a kiss. She pulls away from him to kiss Matt and Eli follows her example, leaning in to kiss his boyfriend. Eli dances until he loses his breath and his cheeks are pink and sweat is dripping down his forehead. Matt and Chloe are equally tired and rosy-cheeked and he grabs their hands to tug them off the dance floor. He leads them over to the food tables and grabs a plate. They weave through the crowd, grabbing food, and finally find a place to sit down. It’s a tight squeeze, but they fit all three of them at the table. Eli grins at Matt and Chloe and says:</p>
<p>“Nice dancing, both of you.”</p>
<p>Chloe giggles, like she doesn’t quite believe him, and says:</p>
<p>“Thanks.”</p>
<p>Matt smiles at her, bright and beautiful like a sun, and then turns that same smile on Eli as he says:</p>
<p>“You were great too, Eli.”</p>
<p>Eli manages to stutter out:</p>
<p>“Thanks.”</p>
<p>He’s about to jump into conversation with them when he sees a strange sight approaching their table: Colonel Young is supporting what appears to be a very drunk Dr. Rush, an amused look on his face. The Colonel’s eyes are warm as they meet Eli’s and he suddenly feels like he’s looking at the dad he never had. He shakes it off to ask:</p>
<p>“What happened to him?”</p>
<p>The colonel speaks, voice full of barely constrained amusement. </p>
<p>“It appears our dear doctor is somewhat of a lightweight.”</p>
<p>He hears Matt and Chloe stifle laughter behind him. Colonel Young continues:</p>
<p>“He insisted I bring him over to you, apparently he has something to say.”</p>
<p>Eli winces; he’s ready to get chewed out for his sub par work again. Still, he meets Rush’s eyes. Rush stares at him for a moment, as if his brain is moving slowly, before he bursts out:</p>
<p>“You, Eli, are a genius.”</p>
<p>Eli’s eyes bug out of his skull at the compliment. Coming from Dr. Rush? Would have expected them to get home first. He waits for more, expecting there to be more, but Rush’s eyes fall shut and he mutters nonsense to himself. Eli looks up, seeing that everyone who heard Rush looks as surprised as he did. Eli does his best to push down his shock at the compliment and instead stands and says:</p>
<p>“I’ll take him back to his quarters, sir.”</p>
<p>Colonel Young eyes Eli for a moment, making sure he’s steady on his feet, before handing over his charge. Rush flops into Eli, struggling to keep his balance. Eli gets one of his arms over his shoulders and props him up. Then he gives Colonel Young a smile and says:</p>
<p>“Thanks, sir.”</p>
<p>Young smiles back, making Eli feel proud he can bring that expression out of him. </p>
<p>“Thank you, Eli.”</p>
<p>Young heads back to his spot at the wall. Rush is still muttering to himself, but otherwise doesn’t move. Eli turns to look at Matt and Chloe as he says:</p>
<p>“I’ll be back, once I drop him off.”</p>
<p>They smile and wish him good luck, still trying not to laugh at Rush draped drunkenly over Eli. Eli speaks quietly to Rush:</p>
<p>“Dr. Rush, you ready to start walking now?”</p>
<p>As an answer, Rush puts a foot out and begins to walk. Eli scrambles to catch up and they begin a wavering walk towards the exit. Eli is struggling with maneuvering Rush’s bulk around party goers when Greer appears out of the crowd. He smirks as he looks over the pair, but quickly offers:</p>
<p>“Need some help, Eli?”</p>
<p>Eli pants for a moment before admitting:</p>
<p>“Yeah, that would be great.”</p>
<p>Greer slides easily under Rush’s arm and helps them walk out the door and into the hallway. His dark eyes dance as he asks Eli:</p>
<p>“So, how hard are you going to hold this over his head in the morning.”</p>
<p>Eli laughs, this truly is the ultimate blackmail material. He replies:</p>
<p>“I don’t think I’ll need to do anything. I’m sure he’ll beat himself up enough anyways.”</p>
<p>Greer laughs, a brash, joyful sound. </p>
<p>“He really will. Rush spotted acting like a human being? The horror!”</p>
<p>Their laughter echoes around the hallway and, shockingly, Rush joins in as well. He doesn’t seem to get the joke--if he did he’d probably be biting Greer’s head off---but he laughs along anyways. Eli and Greer both stop in surprise; this is the first time Greer has heard him laugh. Eli mutters to himself:</p>
<p>“Guess the party did do him some good then.”</p>
<p>By then they’ve reached Rush’s quarters and Eli reaches over to open the door. Rush’s babbling becomes more excited as he spots the bed. Greer and Eli help him limp over until he flops down happily. He pulls the blankets up over himself and blinks sleepily at Eli. Eli leans over to check on him and is surprised when Rush speaks:</p>
<p>“Thank you, Eli.”</p>
<p>His eyes flit to Greer and he continues:</p>
<p>“Thank you, Greer.”</p>
<p>Greer and Eli share a shocked look; it’s perhaps the nicest Rush has ever been. Then, assured that Rush is okay for the moment, Eli steps away and whispers to Greer:</p>
<p>“I don’t know, he’s pretty drunk. We shouldn’t leave him alone.”</p>
<p>Greer nods and whispers back:</p>
<p>“I’ll stay with him.”</p>
<p>Eli wonders how many more shocks he can take tonight. He asks:</p>
<p>“Really?”</p>
<p>Greer rolls his eyes at Eli’s disbelief.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’ll babysit. You were having a good time at the party, go back and have fun for me, yeah?”</p>
<p>Eli thinks of Matt and Chloe’s warm arms waiting for him and nods. </p>
<p>“Thanks, Greer.”</p>
<p>As he leaves the room, he sees Greer pull up a chair to sit next to Rush and knows he’s in good hands. He makes his way back to the party where his family waits.</p>
<p>-------</p>
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